Overstrand Life - Janet's Diaries

February 1st - 15th 2012

Overstrand has featured in the media this week. To start with there was the BBC’s Inside Out programme on Monday evening; this would appear to have given rise to some mixed views in our village.

Also on Monday, the North Norfolk News published an article on their website titled ‘Plan to launch Tourism Fund to help protect Overstrand sea defences’. This was in part covered by the BBC’s Inside Out programme; both article and reader’s comments make interesting reading.

This was followed on Tuesday by once again North Norfolk News, who posted ‘Vintage Overstrand road sign becomes Norfolk’s latest Grade II listed building’. We have on occasions wondered what the sign at the top of Coast Road indicated; now we know.

Since Sunday we have been in the grip of cold easterly winds but these have not stopped us from walking on the beach in the mornings. The chill brings colour to our cheeks and the tops of our ears tingle and redden whilst, up until today, the sea and sky have been two distinctly separate shades of grey. It appears winter has arrived but let’s face it, we have been lucky this year. Not so, those living on a Greek island in the southern Mediterranean. We visited this island on three occasions in the past and I now follow an expats blog. In mid-January I was reading a posting; it was so cold, beds had been layered with two duvets and

Grade II Listed

Ivy clad Tree Trunks

protruding heads hatted! Although temperatures can be uncomfortably hot in summer, Greek winters are often as cold as ours and conditions less than comfortable in a number of island homes that do not benefit from central heating.

Of course, Greek winters are not always extreme and winter days in Norfolk often have an affinity with those enjoyed by Greek islanders. Today was one such day; despite the cold winds, the sun shone, the skies blue and the air fresh and clear. It drew us out along the footpaths and across the tracks were the ground was hard and pockets of frost clung to the edge of fields and in hollows. I could not resist taking photographs of the ivy clad tree trunks with bare branches, set against the blue sky and the clumps of snowdrops at the edge of a footpath.

Snowdrop Clumps

Saturday 4th February - Poet Councillor, The Pleasaunce to open its Gardens & New Potatoes in January!

Part of the Parish Council’s meeting on Wednesday was devoted to discussions regarding the future of the website, Overstrand Online. County Councillor Graham Jones was present at the meeting and I was interested to hear he has a website; here he showcases a selection of his poems, an excellent mode to publish his work, prior to his planned book. I read his biography, on his site www.grahamjonespoetry.co.uk and had to chuckle to myself where it says ‘Graham believes that everyone has a poem to write.’ There is also a saying that ‘everyone has a book in them’ and that is what I devote all my spare time to – my book. This currently progresses slowly but I must say surely too, maybe I will follow on with a poem!

I have just read the article titled ‘Why Summer Starts here for Norfolk’s show gardens’ in the Weekend supplement to Saturday’s EDP. Within the two page spread it states; ‘as part of the 85th Anniversary of the National Gardens Scheme, five of the original gardens which opened in its first year, 1927; will open again this year’. The Pleasaunce, then the property of Lady Battersea (Lord Battersea died in 1907), now a Christian Endeavour Holiday Centre, was one of these five gardens and will be open on 8th July, between 2.00-5.00 p.m.

In addition to the opening of the gardens around the house, other gardens, formerly within The Pleasaunce estate, will be open on Overstrand Open Gardens Day on 17th June (see Calendar 2012 for further details). Clearly there will be excellent opportunities on both occasions to absorb and imagine how the estate appeared in its heyday; with its Gertrude Jeckyll designed gardens, the main house influenced by the great architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and other estate buildings. In the meantime my Photo Gallery provides a taster of the gardens and house.

Peter planted some potatoes last autumn, saved from his 2011 crop from the garden. These were put in a large terracotta pot and filled with the compost from used gro-bags. The pot has overwintered well in the greenhouse until the drop in temperatures during recent nights. Part of the foliage caught the frost; time to see if any potatoes had grown beneath the compost. Two varieties; Lady Chrystl had done quite well but Vanessa would have benefited, if it had not been for the frost, from a longer growing period. But all for free and home-grown new potatoes in January – that has to be a bonus.

Wednesday 8th February - Snow Fall and Sub Zero Temperatures

A hefty fall of snow was forecast for Saturday and according to the Met Office website; Norfolk was on an ‘orange alert’ (be prepared). However, I was not convinced; despite the grey skies and predictions; firstly snow mid-morning, then later in the day and the final report 9 p.m. I thought; if they carry on moving the boundaries like this, it will pass us by. But of course it didn’t and when Peter took Barney out before we went to bed there was already a covering on the garden and lane outside. By the morning, much to Barney’s delight, a good 3-4 inches (7.5-10 cms) greeted us and we walked out around 7.30 a.m to let him enjoy rolling and bounding around in the fresh deep layers along our lane and then across the car park with a neighbour’s dog. It was a joy to watch them; they were just like a couple of children.

Down the Zigzag

My chickens, Beckie & Cate, were less than enamoured with the sight that greeted them. When I opened their pop-hole, they refused to come out. I tried, shovelling and brushing away the snow to reveal the grass and moving their coop and run onto this area; I tried, tempting them with cooked spaghetti at the bottom of the ramp; I tried, throwing their absolute favourite, mixed corn, onto the ramp and onto the grass below; I even tried, pushing them down the ramp – Beckie got halfway and would not move and Cate firmly gripped her feet on the wood at the exit to the coop and refused to budge. I gave up! They spent the rest of the day inside nestled in the warmth of chopped straw, with plentiful supplies of food and water. Who could blame them.

White Cliffs of Overstrand

It was definitely a day for comfort food; half a leg of mutton, surrounded with root vegetables in a roasting tin, a small amount of water poured in, all covered in foil and put in the oven at the lowest setting just after 7.00 a.m. This was ready to eat twelve hours later; the meat was tender, falling off the bone and the vegetables, cooked in the juices all made for a very tasty evening meal. To follow; Christmas pudding with ‘proper’ custard made with eggs and a slug of brandy for added flavour.

There was a slight thaw on Monday but for the most part daytime temperatures have hovered around freezing, dropping several degrees below at night. With little traffic on our lane there are areas of frozen sheets of ice where extreme care is necessary but along the footpaths, dirt tracks and beach, passage is easier and as ever in Overstrand it has been a pleasure for those who enjoy walking.

Path to Northrepps

Drifts on Madams Lane

So that just about sums it up, I have included a selection of photographs; there are more posted on the Facebook page. One final note; the chickens finally came down into the run mid-morning Monday and I have been placing hot water bottles in their coop at night to help protect them from the cold. Spoil them? Yes I do, which is probably why they are not laying any eggs!

Saturday 11th February - Quiet Times

Since Wednesday life has been pretty well routine, just the usual shopping, walking etc. The snow is gradually melting and our lane is now fairly clear, although Barney still has his own private patch of snow on our lawn. Emerging from under the melting snow, the flowers in the garden are looking pretty bedraggled but I am sure the plants will revive and more buds develop once we are through this cold snap. It has been very cold and generally grey but on Friday afternoon the sun came out making it feel a few degrees warmer. The village is quiet with most activity centring round the village shop; there are of course the usual dog walkers out. Things may liven up next week during half-term; already this morning cars are parked outside holiday homes.

We felt sorry for Anthea who sells fish from her wagon in the car park, adjacent to the butchers in Mundesley. Out in the cold, tucked behind the refrigerated counter cannot be any fun but she was in good spirits on Friday, telling us she had sold a lot of her Thursday morning delivery and would probably have to source more for her Saturday trade. We bought some cod which I cooked in the evening Spetsai style (this is one of my Greek recipes and will feature in my book) and kippers for Saturday lunch.

While things are quiet, plans and arrangements for summer events are well under way in particular for the Open Gardens Day on 17th June and for the Queens Jubilee celebrations in the village; the Overstrand Evening WI are organising a cake competition and the Gardening Club are planning a Scarecrow display. The Land & Strand, delivered free to all villagers in the Poppyland diocese, has always been a good source of information about local events. Following a break since December the next edition was due out in March but I have heard that there is likely to be delay in its production. I have also been told that the Poppyland Partnership have taken over editorship from Rosemary & Jeff Reason, taking both Land & Strand and the Crab Line fortnightly magazine under the partnership’s umbrella.

Wednesday 15th February - Raffle Win and Meadow Cottage

Valentine Bouquet

Meadow Cottage, in the village, which has been on the property market for just about a year, went under the auctioneers hammer this week for £450,000. Meadow Cottage was the former seaside home of Sir Frederick MacMillan, of Macmillan publisher’s fame. Sir Frederick was uncle to Sir Harold MacMillan, who was nicknamed ‘Supermac’ during his term as Prime Minister between 1957-1963. Since1965, Meadow Cottage was operated by Elizabeth Fitzroy Support as a fifteen bed home for the physically and mentally disabled. This was until a year ago when the home closed and residents transferred to alternative homes in Norfolk. According to North Norfolk News, Meadow Cottage will now revert to a house; I trust the new owners will conduct any changes, with sympathy to its original design and construction. No details yet as to who are the new owners but of course there have been rumours that Johnny Depp has been looking at properties in the Burham’s area. Who knows, he may have fallen for Overstrand’s charms instead!

SOLD

Meadow Cottage

Each month, at the Southrepps Farmers Market, there is a raffle for the village. Tickets are sold on Emm’s Stems stall and the prize is a bouquet of flowers. We always buy a ticket from Emma and much to my delight, I received a phone call late Sunday morning; our ticket had won. I have to admit I did not examine the hand-tied bouquet prize on display; I was too busy chatting to Emma, so the bouquet itself was a total surprise when her husband stopped by later to deliver to our home. Well, it is quite beautiful, on a Valentines theme and I have inserted a photograph which does not really do it justice. As well as flowers and foliage there are feathers, hearts, ladybirds, ‘jewels’ that look like dew drops and more; Emma is a very talented and imaginative florist. A link to Emm’s Stems website is on the Foods, Plants and Flowers page, under the Directories tab. Peter regularly buys me flowers but for the price of a £1 raffle ticket this must have been his biggest Valentine’s Day bargain ever!